I promised myself that I would be very diverse when it comes to covering different Kickstarter projects, but I realized that I haven’t really covered first-person games. I think the reason why I don’t do a lot of shout-outs for these kinds of Kickstarter games is because they either don’t show enough gameplay, just show concept art, or some of them seem really pretentious, or don’t look all that impressive. However, to make up for this fact that I haven’t covered many first-person games, I will do a quick shout-out to five different first-person games that I think deserve it!

Vanguard V

I am going to start with the game that has the least amount of days left in their Kickstarter to get funded, and that is the Oculus Rift game, Vanguard V. This Oculus Rift game project has you in the seats of a pilot named Qu, who has traveled across the universe for a dangerous parasite that has destroyed her home world. It is up to you as Qu, and her robot companion BiT, to stop this evil force and save the universe from this threat. I really love the bright colors and the fast-paced gameplay of this Star Fox-style rail-shooter. The speed of the game seems intense, the combat looks satisfying, and the music sounds epic. From what was shown in the video, you can tell a lot of hard work was put into this game. They even have popular composers, one of which is Jake Kaufman, on board for the game’s soundtrack. I have a few concerns about Vanguard V. The first concern is the amount of cash the developer is wanting for this project. It is currently at over $25K of its $198K funding goal. That is asking for quite a lot for a VR headset game. Not to say that I don’t see a lot of potential for this project to do well, because I think it does it does have potential. From what I have seen, it seems like a lot of games made for the Oculus Rift have been nothing but horror games, and that quite honestly turns me off to the headset. However, that price point might be a bit too ambitious, and they only have 6 days left, so I don’t know if they will actually make it. I also think the way you control your character will be a bit concerning to people. You only control your character by tilting your head. Kind of sounds like something that could lead to unresponsive controls. If you are interested in this game and don’t want to get it for the Oculus Rift, it will also be coming out for PC, and the PlayStation 4’s Project Morpheus with a lot of people also voting for a Wii U (among other consoles) release. I hope it does well, but I don’t think it will reach its high funding goal.

I chose this next Kickstarter game due to its creative art style, and more of a focus on having a scary atmosphere than actually relying on what has been killing the horror genre for years. You will play someone who is trapped in this weird underground cavern that is constantly changing as you interact with the puzzles within the game’s always-changing world. You will also encounter these creepy as heck tiki statue-looking creatures throughout your journey. I love the twisted look of the world. It really looks like something that Tim Burton designed with the creepy, but stylish imagery and the use of colors. Heck, even the developers said Tim Burton’s art design was a huge inspiration to them when making this episodic experience. I will say that my only concern with this game is that the story and atmosphere will be satisfying throughout the game. I don’t mind games dropping you head first into the main game without any cutscenes, but if the story is hiding too much from the player, then what will be the point in playing if they don’t know why they are there or what is what? I think episodic games can be good, like The Wolf Among Us, but if the story isn’t worth seeking out, we might not get the full narrative, and as a result, feel unsatisfied and annoyed. I think Albino Lullaby looks like an Oculus Rift game that has potential and could be a successful game for that headset. They are only asking for $25K, and they are at over $3K as of writing this article.

Comatose puts you in the shoes of a guy who has a past filled with some rather dark themes. After getting into a car accident, the player is put in a coma-like state, and must venture through his thoughts and dreams that are all from events that happened in the past. If you have ever seen or heard of that Japan-only PlayStation 1 game LSD, this Kickstarter game is like that. You will explore different nightmares that represent experiences that have happened in the guy’s past. The main goal is to tackle your fears and make it out of every nightmare sequence alive. This is a very cool idea, since it isn’t being designed like every other horror game like Daylight and the millions of other uninspired Slender rip-offs. My only real concern is that I hope the environments that you explore are varied enough, and the scares are actually gonna give my heart a jump. Horror games are going to have to try really hard to make me think they are good, but hopefully, with this game, along with Albino Lullaby, the game I am going to talk about next, and Grave, they can bring horror back!

Games with aliens in them are nothing new. You usually have a gun, and blast them to bits, or you play as the aliens, and basically kill the nearest living thing. However, The Hum, has a different goal in mind. The Hum puts you in the shoes of a victim of an alien invasion, where you must survive the invasion and find out what the heck is going on. The game is filled with traditional survival elements, like having to keep your character healthy, keeping him warm and calm within the madness of this invasion. Sometimes the aliens will also put you through tests to see if you can solve them, but the Kickstarter says that the game won’t be entirely puzzle-oriented. Once you succumb to madness, you will experience illusions that will interfere with your need to survive. It sort of reminds me of how Eternal Darkness messed with you in certain sections of the game if the player got too afraid. You know, for a VR game, The Hum has some really eerie atmospheric elements. I was honestly on edge slightly while watching the developer videos. The sense of being alone with large alien ships floating around the city gives you this really uneasy feeling. It reminds me of those moments in shows and movies where there is utter silence for 10 seconds, and then something happens and it scares the pants off you. One of, if not, my only concern for this game is that the developer has said that you can combat the aliens, but they are balancing out the more realistic feeling of the aliens being superior to you and your combat abilities being more realistic. I hope they don’t shoehorn in combat just to have action to break up the puzzle-solving and atmospheric exploration. I don’t mind action in stealth games, but it has to be done well. In the end, this is one of the more impressive VR headset games coming out. It is coming to the PC, Oculus Rift, and the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 4’s Project Morpheus. It’s funding goal is a high $250K, and they are only at a little over $5K right now. I don’t know if The Hum will make it, but it has a little more than a month to get funded. I think the team has a good foundation, and I wish them luck!

Kôna drops you into the 1970s in the shoes of Carl Faubert. Carl is a war veteran-turned private detective who is hired by an industrialist named W. Hamilton to investigate an issue Hamilton has been having with the Cree Community in Northern Quebec, who are criticizing Hamilton for his copper mining destroying sacred land. As Carl reaches the location to meet Hamilton, he finds out that not only is the rich man missing, but the entire town in Quebec is deserted. Kôna is an episodic survival horror game where you must travel across the snow-filled land of Quebec, solving this rather unusual case, while defending yourself from the cold, hunger, and unexpected danger that lurks in this wild land. You will need to solve puzzles in traditional adventure-gaming style, while taking photos of evidence, since, well, you are a detective, you should be very thorough. I enjoyed the chilling setting of the game. It feels rather unique, and it isn’t just another game where you are traveling through the dark dingy woods, like a lot of indie horror games. There is something wild and untamed about going through blizzard-filled landscapes. The music will be composed by a local folk rock band named Curé Label. Kôna is promising, but since it is an episodic game, and the Kickstarter has confirmed that the story will be like Dear Ester and The Stanley Parable, I hope the story is worthwhile and intriguing enough to keep you going. I would hate for each episode to be a little boring at first, but then dangle a carrot in front of you to keep you going in the last third of the episode. I also hope this doesn’t turn into one of those horror games that were made to be played by the popular Youtube celebrities that specialize in games that make you scream, whether they are good scares or bad. I don’t want another Daylight incident, or a slew of mediocre Slender rip-offs flooding the market. The Kickstarter also says that shooting in the game will be three to five percent of the entire game, so I hope if you do encounter a threat, that they can be dealt with easily, and not make it a chore to run far off from your goa, forcing you to trek back to where you need to go, thereby wasting your time. However, I do think this team has what it takes to make it a unique and intense horror game filled with mystery, and make for a rather fulfilling experience. The game’s funding goal is $40K and it is currently at over $9K, and I hope they make it.

So, there you go, five different first-person games that you may or may not find interesting. I hope you have found one that has you intrigued, and I wish the individual developers all the luck in the world, because they are all getting my Kickstarter Shout-out!